Unexpected
by RainOrTears
Summary: This story is being continued by Wish You Luck.
1. Chapter One: Unpredictable News

**Okay, this is my first attempt at a longer chapter story. I hope it's seen as at least a bit original...I've been thinking about posting it for a while now. I'm going to try and keep this fluff-less...and fail miserably...I have a few other chapters already written so if people like it, then I'll continue it. :)**

**Disclaimer: *insert witty remark to the effect that the characters do not belong to me here* ...sigh.**

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Artemis stood as he saw the rock make contact with his window. He walked cautiously over to it, only to find that it wasn't really a rock. It was a weapon. The unusual tininess of the gun and model, which he had helped Foaly design, made it clear to him that it was a fairy's neutrino. The certain pattern of symbols etched into the side made it clear that it was one Miss Holly Short's neutrino.

Holly Short's neutrino; her only weapon, besides her buzz baton, was being thrown through his window at five o'clock in the morning. That was no coincidence.

Artemis was instantly alert. Someone was taunting him; luring him into a trap. He didn't need to overreact now. That could wait for when he had an armed Butler in front of him. He went over his options. Looking outside the now shattered window would do no good. Even touching the neutrino could have some danger to it. After yelling for Butler to clean the mess of glass now covering his floor, and also guard the vulnerable opening in the wall, he decided to call Holly.

She answered a little irritated to be woken at two in the morning when she had to be getting up early the next day, but when she saw who was calling, she attempted to wake herself. She sat up, flipping open the communicator.

"Artemis?" she asked.

Artemis felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders. He answered, if a little bit shakily. "Yes Holly, it's me. I was wondering whether you were…never mind. I'll let you get back to sleep."

He was about to close his communicator, before he heard Holly speak.

"Artemis, what's wrong?"

At first he didn't answer. He didn't want her to think that he was worried, even though he was.

He sighed. "Holly are you missing anything?"

Holly looked puzzled at first, before her hand automatically went to her hip, where her holster for her gun would be (had she been wearing her uniform). Then she looked scared. Artemis was surprised; he had never seen _the_ Holly Short become scared. The worst part was that he felt bad about it. Boy, had he changed.

"Artemis, I don't know where my neutrino is."

Artemis smirked before he picked up the weapon in question off of his bedroom floor. "Would you perhaps mean this neutrino?"

Needless to say, Holly looked shocked. "H—how did you get that?"

Artemis smirked again. "Someone threw it through my window." he answered bluntly.

A simple 'oh' was all Holly could muster.

Artemis' expression changed when he looked at her closely. "Are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale." Artemis asked her.

"Oh, yeah." she replied. "I've just never been without my weapon for too long." An involuntary shiver went down her spine. She shook slightly, but did her best to look completely dignified and 'okay' as she had said she was, even though she was far from it.

"Well, I would love to come down there to deliver it for you, but sadly, I think I might get caught." Artemis joked. He attempted a weak smile, which turned out looking like a sideways grimace.

"Agreed." Artemis was slightly hurt. He had tried to use humor and she still seemed depressed.

"Well, would you like to talk?" he asked. _Strange,_ before he would have just hung up.

Holly shifted uncomfortably. "It's okay, you need your sleep." But secretly she thought it would be nice to have someone's voice talking to her as she sat alone in her apartment, weaponless. Suddenly that extra cost for a security system that the sales person had recommended didn't seem so high. She wasn't aware at the time that she could possibly regret telling the sprite that anyone who messed with her home would be fried to a crisp before they could get past the metaphorical welcome mat.

"Holly, it's okay. I've already gotten six hours worth."

Holly smiled. "Thanks artemis."

"It's my pleasure." he replied, also smiling now.

They were silent for a while, Holly thinking, and Artemis, watching her think.

Then she broke out of it, to find Artemis staring at her. He quickly looked away. She just ignored it.

"Artemis…how's life been?"

Artemis stared at her like she had grown an extra head.

"Pretty good, I suppose." then he caught on, she wanted him to ask her. "What about you?"

She instantly smiled, partly because she was proud of Artemis for getting the hint, and partly because of the news she was about to tell him.

"Pretty good, I suppose." she mocked, before giving her real answer, her tones changing from dry humor to excited and slightly squeal-ish. "I'm getting married!"

Artemis was shocked. His mouth dropped open. He was at a loss for words; something only Holly was capable of doing to him. He was just about ready to go find a glass of water and do a spit-take.

He gave a weak smile. "That's-that's great, Holly." He stuttered. He didn't care though.

_Holly. Getting. Married._

Then a thought flashed before his unfocused eyes. He looked up suddenly. "Who?"

"Who what?" she was confused.

Artemis sighed. "_Who_ are you getting married to?"

"Oh!" she smiled even wider. "Sorry, I'm just so…excited?" She nodded. "Yeah that's the word, I think."

Artemis nodded. He was getting anxious. Who had Holly been so in love with, that she just happened to forget to mention to him…and Butler.

"No, wait. Let me guess. Trouble?"

Holly looked disgusted. "EW, no! Trouble's like my brother."

He nodded, and then thought again. "Mulch?" At her vulgar expression, he continued. "Chix Verbal?"

"Artemis, really. I thought you knew me better. While I don't see myself as beautiful exactly, I'd like to think that I'm allowed higher standards."

"Okay, well those are all the fairies that I can think of. Well, Foaly's married, and while I _do_ think I read something on Centaurs taking more than one wife, I, like you, think you have higher standards." He smirked. "No offence to Foaly if he's got this link wired."

Holly gave a small laugh. "No, he doesn't know about this link. Or at least I don't think he does. I sometimes wonder if he just doesn't tell me things so that I can feel good about sneaking something past him." She was basically talking to herself by the time she finished her statement. But Artemis was growing anxious.

"Are you going to tell me? I've listed every fairy I think I know…around your age and you've said no to all of them."

"Well, that's because you don't know him." She gave him a wide smile.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

Holly fake pouted. "It was funny!" she defended. "I've never seen Artemis Fowl play the guessing game before." Then she smirked. "It's almost as if you've still got some hidden child in you."

It was Artemis' turn to pout. "Holly, you are fully aware that I am now twenty, and that is the age at which humans are considered adults." Then, more to himself, he muttered, "I could get married like you are."

Holly laughed. "Let me know how that works out for you mud boy."

"You still haven't told me who you're marrying." He pointed out, preferring to keep the subject about her love life rather than his.

"Well, you don't know him." She teased, still smiling.

"You can still tell me." He said pointedly.

"Artemis, you'll meet him at the wedding." Her smile vanished, and she was playing with her hands absently.

"Holly. I think I'm entitled to know who my best friends marry. Now. Who. Is. It?" he was practically shouting now.

Holly looked down at her hands.

"Holly?" he asked, trying to get her attention.

She didn't look up.

"Holly!"

Her head whipped up to stare angrily at him. "I DON'T KNOW OKAY!?" she screamed.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He pressed still, even though her anger was evident everywhere upon her features.

"Exactly that." She shrugged.

"How can you not know who you're marrying?"

"It's an arranged marriage. All I know is that his name is Sier Tolos."

Artemis gave her a look. "Sier Tolos? Are you serious? Holly that's the most ridiculous name I've ever heard." He gave a nervous laugh, afraid that she would give him a swift punch the next time they met.

Holly glared at him. "Oh, yeah, you're one to talk little Mister Goddess."

"Hunter." He corrected.

Holly smirked. "Whatever, it's still a girl's name. You can't talk Arty."

He smiled at the pet name. "Okay, so did Foaly do a background check on Mister Sier?"

"Yes, almighty goddess of my business. He did, and he came up clean. Lives in Atlantis, that's why I've never heard of him."

Artemis gave her a look. "Goddess of your business? Honestly, Holly I thought you were more creative than that." His tone gave the impression of pity.

"Shut up! It's like, what? Two in the morning?" she defended.

"Here it is five o'clock in the morning. However I understand your point. Maybe I should be going."He narrowly avoided the upcoming argument. He didn't feel like talking anymore; she had given him a lot to think about and he couldn't look into his mind while she was yelling at him.

"Yeah, I should get some sleep." She yawned to prove her point. "But I'll be visiting you soon; maybe next week or something. One sec."

She went off the screen for what Artemis claimed as checking her calendar, then came back. "Yeah, it's a full moon next Tuesday. I'll come visit once I've completed the ritual. The commander also wants me to ask you some questions about your suspicions with what happened to my weapon. And you can give me back my neutrino." She smiled. "Everybody wins." Artemis returned the sarcastic smile, but it was obvious that it wasn't genuine.

After they had exchanged their _Goodnight_'s (Artemis had distinctly notified that it was morning where both of them were, however it sounded like the right thing to say) and _Don't take over the world while I'm asleep'_s, Artemis walked to the controls room to check the feeds, thinking of Sier Tolos, as he walked, and if Holly was being serious when she said that Foaly had done a background check on him.

Something didn't feel right about that name.

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As Holly walked into the manor, Butler greeted her. She attempted to give the large Eurasian man a hug, but then opted to clinging onto one of his legs for a few seconds, before realizing that a friendly I-haven't-seen-you-in-so-long hug was just creating awkwardness.

Artemis strolled down the stairs to find Holly talking to Butler of her wedding, and how she was attempting to escape the whole _dress_ part that came with getting married.

He walked silently up to her, before saying in a fairly loud whisper, "Come to think of it, I've never seen you in a dress Holly."

She smirked. "And if things work out my way, you're not going to."

She turned around and gave him a hug. Since Artemis was significantly smaller than Butler, it was a lot easier for Holly to avoid the awkwardness that came with hugging her other human friend.

Then she pulled away, wiping the smile off her face. She held out her hand. "Gun."; was all she had to say.

Artemis reluctantly handed her the neutrino, seemingly from nowhere.

She sighed deeply as she slid it into her holster. She pulled out the gun she had rented from Foaly. "Here, add this to your collection."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't that be against rules?"

"Artemis, Artemis, Artemis. Have I _ever_ been one for rules?" he smiled and shook his head as he carefully took the neutrino 3000 from Holly. He placed it on a table for Butler to pick up, and led her to the sitting room.

"It's weird how it just…did you say smashed? Yeah. It's weird how it just smashed into your window. And _my_ weapon. Out of all the other fairies in the world, _mine._"

"Yes, well I expect it to be some sort of warning." Artemis replied nonchalantly.

Holly narrowed her eyes. "What sort of warning?"

He looked up at her. "A…how shall I say this?" he stroked his chin for a second, before replying while wincing at his horrible grammar. "Like a very-bad-thing-is-about-to-happen warning."

"And just who do you think sent us this _very-bad-thing-is-about-to-happen_ warning?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I suspect none other than Opal Koboi." He replied simply. He was so calm that it scared Holly.

"Oh. Yeah it's been weird having two of those. I keep thinking that we have her under lock and key-well, not that we use locks and keys but you get the point- and then I remember that we're trying to track two of them. It's exhausting really."

"Yes, saving the world tends to be somewhat exhausting." Artemis' smirk could be heard through his sarcastic reply.

Holly rolled her eyes and punched his arm lightly. "You know what I mean."

"Yes. Anyways, I was thinking,"

"There's a shock." Holly interrupted him. Artemis almost stuck his tongue out at her. _Almost._ He was a dignified genius after all.

"As I was saying, I was thinking that she must've sent someone here. This means she has allies. And if she has allies, then we could be in more trouble than previously thought."

"What makes you think she has allies?"

"Well she has lost her magic correct?" Holly nodded. "Right, then she wouldn't have the ability to shield. And since my security cameras came up with nothing, I'm guessing that the fairy that did throw your neutrino through my window would need the ability to shield. I tried slowing down the frequency of the feed to see if there was any way we could find the identity of the ally, but nothing came up."

"Well, all we can do is wait then. We don't have any idea where she is or what she's planning so the best thing to do would just be to sit tight and wait for her to make her next move." She stood up, and then turned back to Artemis. "And be cautious. I don't want you going anywhere without Butler. Understood?"

He sulked. "Do I _look_ like a child to you? And for your information, I've been working out with Butler."

"I'm sure you have Arty." She smirked playfully as she faded out of view. Then she unshielded her head, giving the illusion of it floating in the air. "And the wedding's in two months. Sort notice I know, but Sier was apparently anxious to get married."

Artemis smirked, before thinking to himself, _I'm sure he is._

He wiped the smirk off his face before replying, "Okay Holly. Just have Foaly send us the invitations and we'll be there."

She nodded and faded out of view again, before bringing back her head one more time.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! It's an aboveground wedding! I'm getting married at Tara!" Her excitement to be getting hitched under the sun was apparent on her face. "Anyways, I'll see you soon Artemis. Bye!"

She walked over to him and he felt a slight pressure as she quickly squeezed him, then faded out of his vision.

The last thing to go was her smile.

"I've often seen a cat without a grin but never a grin without a cat." He recited.

"You're not in Kansas anymore, cupcake." Came the reply.

"Get your stories straight Holly." He shot back, smiling.

"Hakuna Matata" she sing-songed.

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**If you wanna, I think I'll be okay with you reviewing. :)**


	2. Chapter Two: Wedding Mishap

**Thanks to my reviewers! See the A/N at the bottom for the answer to your questions.**

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"Holly, what's your priest's name?" Artemis asked as he watched Holly put marks on the papers in front of her. Every once in a while the picture of her would fizzle out, and all Artemis would be able to see would be a snowstorm. That's what Holly got for sneaking out the communicator in her office from Foaly's junk bin. However the sound worked perfectly. Artemis would have offered to fix it for her, but her eyes were set on her paper, so seeing him wasn't a priority for then; she could hear him lecturing her just fine.

"Why, Artemis, would you need to know that?" she didn't look up from her paper work as she answered his question with one of her own.

Artemis leaned back on his chair. "Because I have a hunch about your beloved Mister Sier, which I thought you might want to know abo-"

"Artemis," Holly raised her hand, eyes closed as if trying to refrain from hitting the malfunctioning equipment in front of her. "I do not wish to know. Thank you very much."

"Well, you still haven't answered my question," Artemis was getting bored, an activity that he did not usually experience, and something that was not high on his list of things to do. He rested his chin on his fist and stared at Holly until she looked up.

She sighed. "Reverend Fuman. It would've been Father Aaron; that was who married my parents, but Sier was all hung up on having the guy who married _his_ parents. I mean seriously, my parents aren't even here anymore. His are. It's not fair."

"Why are you marrying someone who isn't treating you nicely?" Artemis asked. It came out before he realized it did. That was going to make him sound like he cared more than he should.

Holly looked up. Had he _really_ just said that? This was Artemis she was talking to. He didn't ask questions like that.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about. That's dipping a little too far into my personal life, Artemis. And while I know we're friends, I-I just…" her voice trailed off as she ran off with her train of thought.

"It's okay; I realize that was tipping off the scale for casual conversation. I apologize."

Holly was still thinking. Artemis was skeptical that she even heard him speaking.

"Holly?" he asked, trying to get in the line of sight that she was staring at.

"Hmm?" she muttered, not looking up.

Artemis took a deep breath. "I'm…" He looked straight at her. "I'm happy for you."

_Lies._

She broke out of her daze and smiled at him. "Thanks Arty."

Holly looked in the mirror. She looked…She didn't know how to describe how she looked. She was _frilly_. More importantly she looked like a melted marshmallow had spit up on her. The train was a bit much. She _defiantly _hadn't gotten her way on this one. Prom had been the last time she had worn one; she was a little younger than Artemis was currently, only in fairy years. Now in human years she would still only be about twenty-five. And even then, there had never been that much _frills_ and _lace _and all the other girly aspects of it. She made a face. She was defiantly _not_ girly.

Artemis knocked, walked into the room without Holly saying anything, looked at her, and finally after Holly had rolled her eyes, he laughed his head off.

Artemis very rarely laughed. It was simply something that a dignified, superior genius such as himself did not practice in. However once Artemis had looked at Holly, he couldn't help it. The look on her face was just too much for him to bear. She wore a white puffy wedding dress, along with the longest train he had ever seen.

In other words she looked ridiculous.

She buried her head in her hands as she sunk down to the floor. After a few minutes Artemis realized that he was being a jerk.

"Holly, it's not _that _bad."

She looked up at him. "Artemis I look like a marshmallow!"

He put a hand on her shoulder, before speaking in his best convincing voice. "Holly, you do not look like a marshmallow."

She glared at him. "Tell the truth, I can take it."

Artemis considered this, before nodding and saying, "You look very marshmallow-like."

Holly pouted before throwing her head in her hands. "You're a jerk!" she shouted at him.

"You told me to tell you the truth!" he defended.

She looked back up at him. "Yeah, but you're supposed to say, 'you look beautiful' or at least not marshmallow-like. You have the emotional understanding of a jelly fish." Then she looked up. "No, scratch that; it would be an insult to jelly fish everywhere."

"Now that was uncalled for." Artemis pouted.

Holly smirked. "I thought we were being truthful."

"Ha ha." He deadpanned, before pulling out three small bottles. "Now, your aunt or whoever is guarding your door said that you could have some of one of these. Apparently it cools the nerves."

He held out three bottles of alcohol and she took one. "Why don't you take one too Arty, you look like _you_'re going to faint."

"I can't drink in the company of a fairy. Or rather, you can't drink in the company of a human. Therefore, wait until I am out of the room to drink that." He pointed to the bottle.

"Here," she handed him one of the bottles. "Go drink it in a closet or something. Seriously you look like you're not feeling too good."

"Maybe it's because I don't have such a great feeling about giving away one of my best friends." He still pouted; a very un-Artemis thing that was becoming what seemed like a habit.

"Artemis, I asked you if you wanted Kelp to do it, and you said no. You brought that upon yourself." Holly pointed out.

Artemis nodded. "Holly, I think there's something you should know about Sier. Or at least I'm fairly sure." He thought about it. If he was wrong, she would probably never forgive him. But if he was right, it could save them. There was just one part of the puzzle that didn't make any sense.

"Artemis, I told you, I want to know Sier for who he is, not for one of your little project thingies."

Artemis winced. "Holly, it's not one of my _little project thingies_. It's real, and I think you should know my suspicions."

"Speaking of Sier," Holly completely ignored him. "Have you seen him yet? I'd like to at least meet the guy I'm about to spend the rest of my life with."

Artemis' jaw dropped. "You haven't _met_ him?!"

Holly shook her head. "It's a complicated story."

He shrugged. "I've got time."

She sighed. But then took a deep breath. "When my mum died, she left a note in her will for my great aunt. That's the one who's _guarding_ the door as you say. Anyways the note said that if I wasn't married by the time my mother died, my great aunt was to find me a husband. She knew I wasn't really one to date and stuff, so she wanted to make sure that I didn't die lonely. So a few months ago, she met Sier, and she said that he would be perfect for me. There were, apparently, so many similarities. His parents also wanted him to get married, and my great aunt arranged this, so that she could fulfill my mother's final wishes."

She finished looking satisfied with her explanation. It was silent for a while, but then Artemis broke it.

"Holly, I don't think your mother meant for your aunt to force you into marriage, rather just make sure you found someone."

Holly nodded. "I know, but my aunt isn't doing so well, she's pushing a thousand four hundred, and she hasn't got many years left. She wanted to make sure that her last living relative was happily married by the time she…_passed._"

"I see." He thought for a moment, before dismissing his assumptions and deciding to just try and be happy for Holly. "Well, you drink that, and I'll go wait where I'm instructed to." He suddenly felt dizzy; he was giving away Holly to someone else. "Maybe I will drink some of this." He took one of the bottles from Holly. "One. Not two. We don't need you drunk on your wedding day."

Holly smiled and crossed her arms. "Yes, father."

Artemis took a swig of the bottle once he had exited the room and received a glare from Holly's great aunt.

He felt better instantly. He looked at the bottle and wondered if there was healing magic in fairy alcohol. _I'll have to do some experiments._ He thought as he walked up to where the wedding was to take place in a few minutes. There was one problem.

He was the only one there.

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The first thought that formed in Artemis' mind was Holly. He hadn't proved his suspicion. Holly seemed so…_ happy_. Or was that a different emotion? He didn't want her to think he was just trying to mess up her personal life. He didn't want her to think he was trying to interfere. But when he reached Holly's room, her aunt was nowhere to be found.

"Holly!" he shouted. He found her doubled over on the other side of the massive room.

"A-Artemis? Oh, I" she retched again. "I think it's just nerves."

Artemis got as close to Holly as he dared, before asking his question. "Holly, did you notice that you're great aunt was wearing sunglasses?"

She shook her head as she coughed violently. "I haven't seen her today." She winced as a jolt of pain ricocheted through her body. "But she refused to see me before. I haven't seen her in a few weeks actually."

Artemis swore, before moving to help Holly up. "And you haven't seen Butler?"

She shook her head. "I assumed you knew where he was."

Artemis froze. "Holly, we have to get out of here." He said quickly.

"What? Why-" She would have finished her sentence, had she not passed out at that moment. Artemis swore again, and then, attempting to pick Holly up but failing miserably, he also fell to the ground. He tried to keep his eyes open, but the drug was powerful. He had to go under. His last thought? That he hated weddings.

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**A/N: Okay, I hate putting an A/N in here, because I am convinced that it interrupts the flow of a story. However, some things need to be set straight. From the moment I thought about writing this story, I promised myself that it would be A/H. I also, however didn't want to give anything away until a later chapter. That didn't work so well for me. I think that more people would read this, if I said that the intended shipping would be A/H. So now I'm saying it...I'm not explaining anything else until later though. The next chapter will clear things up drastically...But of course, I, like any other person on this site, crave reviews. So if you want to know what happens sooner (yes I will eventually post it, regardless of the amount of reviews I get) then please tell me in a review...Doesn't that green button down there look tasty?**


	3. Chapter Three: Just Plain Unexpected

**Thanks to my reviewers: TexasDreamer01, MathiasMatt, Serial-Doodler and aluap96 ! You peoples rock!  
**

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A long corridor; about half the size of a football field. At one end sat Artemis Fowl, tied to a chair that was permanently connected to the floor, and taped at the mouth; the classic villain way to restrain a prisoner. It wasn't causing him pain though. What was causing him pain was lying at the other end of the corridor. What looked like a pile of messily thrown blankets was actually a body bag. A body bag, which held none other than the body of Holly Short; still very much alive. Their captors had stabbed her a few times, enough to drain her magic and a little more to make her suffer. To make _him_ suffer. The crimson blood that trickled out of seeps in the fabric of the body bag made him wince. The fact that Holly wouldn't stop draining her energy while attempting to escape from the bag was only making it worse. Artemis suspected that her claustrophobia was acting up. He had tried to call out to her, but the tape covering his mouth had sound proofed him, and he was left with the ability to do nothing.

Suddenly a light streamed into the room, while two guards walked towards Artemis. Another light erupted from Holly's end of the corridor, and she was also dragged to the middle of the hallway. As soon as the guards had left, Artemis tried to get to Holly. But he couldn't. As soon as he walked forward, he bounced off of an invisible barrier, once again, leaving him with the ability to do nothing.

Short minutes after Artemis had sat down, plotting and thinking of any way out, a light erupted again, from Holly's end of the corridor. The figure walked towards the pair. He only smirked when Artemis glared at him.

Artemis studied him. He had a shiny long coat on, which could be found quite humorous. His crown was partially shaved, but it left enough hair to be pulled back into a deeply brown ponytail; this could also be found quite humorous. He looked to be only a little taller than Holly would've been, had she not been lying on the ground in a bag. The man walked up to them.

He stopped just short of Holly, and spoke to Artemis.

"So, pretty boy. I suppose it's time we make some introductions."

Artemis barred his teeth, and rolled his eyes. He attempted to point at the tape across his mouth. The man got the point, and dipped his hand into Artemis' barrier, ripping the tape off his mouth.

"DNA activated?" he asked, once he had gotten the taste of duct tape off his mouth.

The man smiled. "You're a clever one. Yes, its DNA activated. It's only restraining you." The man smiled even wider, and started untying Holly's body bag. "I, my dear Mister Fowl," He took the bag off Holly. She glared at him, attempted to punch him, but then appeared too weak. "Here, my darling," he spoke quietly to Holly. "Drink this." He pulled out a glass of water from seemingly nowhere, and Holly downed it before Artemis could protest.

He gasped as her expression went blank, and then came back again. She looked up to the man and smiled. "Sier?"

He smiled. "Yes, my love."

Holly jumped up and hugged him tightly. "I thought I would never meet you!"

Artemis' jaw dropped. "Holly, don't! He just gave you some kind of drug!"

Holly glared at Artemis. "Look, Fowl. I l-l" her eyes seemed to clear, and then they blurred again. "Love this man. I don't c-c" her eyes cleared and blurred. "Care about you. So just leave me, I n-n" and again. "Never want to see you again Fowl."

Artemis' eyes went wide. 'Sier' chuckled. "What, Fowl? So hard to believe that two people can fall in love?"

"Yes. It is actually." Artemis answered, through clenched teeth.

Sier smiled. "Holly, my love, please leave us; just for now. I will see you tonight at dinner."

Holly smiled and nodded, then did something that Artemis almost fainted at: She kissed Sier; a full on the lips wet kiss. She smiled as she let go of his arm, and she walked away.

"Okay, so now that she's gone, you can lift the act. Who are you?" Artemis asked.

"I, Mister Fowl, am Sir Alexander Gairden, half elf, and your current captor. You call me Sier though."

Artemis smirked. "Intriguing; you were knighted by the queen. Care to tell me why?"

"No, Arty I do not wish to tell you. However what I will tell you might be useful. You see Artemis, there's a time in every villains life, in which you go through a soft phase. My soft phase, as we shall call it, resulted in me being knighted by the queen. Your soft phase is happening now, and it is resulting in you, thinking you're fawing in wuve." He spoke the last two words as if he were a five year old that confused its l's with w's. "This makes me come to a conclusion Artemis, that we're not so different. We all go through phases Artemis. You're not different from the rest of the world in that aspect, but the smart ones get out of it, before it's too late." He leaned closer to Artemis and whispered, "Tell me Artemis, are you smart?"

Artemis scowled at him. "I am not falling in love. I am not in a phase. I am not appreciating you calling me Arty, and I am smart. Not in that aspect."

"Artemis, Artemis, Artemis. Don't you get it? She will move on. She'll get tired of you. Did you see her before? One little extra kick of liquidized lust and she never wanted to see you again. Move on kid, before you get kicked there. It hurts a lot more." He lowered his voice once again. "Artemis, you're a smart kid. You _know_ that the good guys always get killed."

Artemis shook his head.

"Thank you for the advice, but I have defied those odds many times before in my life." He looked up at Sier. "This is no different."

Sier simply gave Artemis a smirk. "Oh, but if you only knew how much it is."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Sier."

"Yes, what is it boy?" Sier looked frustrated at Artemis' thoughtful gaze.

"Sier Tolos." Artemis repeated.

"Yes, that is the name which I have commanded you to call me, now what is it?!" Sier was getting irritable.

Artemis was hit with a wave of comprehension. "I knew it! My suspicions… Sie: German for _you_. R: the universal letter for the English word spelt '_a-r-e_'. Tolos: Portuguese for _fools_. You are fools. So it was pseudonym. All along I was duped by a method of identity prevention that _I_ have been using for years." He shook his head. And he was supposed to be a genius; his only asset, gone.

Sier broke into his thoughts. "You are a smart one Mister Fowl. Maybe my pseudonym had you based in the wrong category." Sier smirked. "But it doesn't matter now. You're here. Holly's here. You have obviously suffered. She is _obviously_ head over heels for me. You're jealous; which just adds a hint of extra enjoyment on my part. And last but certainly not least on the agenda, making you suffer even _more._ Mister Fowl, allow me to introduce you to my partner in crime."

As the door opened one more time, and the light streamed in, Artemis gasped. _No, this couldn't be right_; j_ust a terrible nightmare._ Artemis closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up from this horrible joke of a dream. But when he opened his eyes again, they were met with the same picture.

_Because, you cannot awake from reality_, he realized.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Hehehehehe :) ...I promise that'll probably be the worst one I give you...or probably not. Who knows what shall pop into my head? On a random note, points for anyone who can guess what the Reverend's (mentioned in chapter two) pseudonym stands for if I give you the hint that it's based on what breed Sier said he was (mentioned above), the first name was '_Hal_' and it was missing a letter from the second word. (so obviously there's two words...)**

**And now I leave you with a quote.**

**"My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a dig."  
-Steve Buscemi**

**Haha that makes me laugh... Review my wonderful readers!**


	4. Chapter Four: Blindsided

Artemis' jaw was still dropped as Sier greeted their new guest. Artemis still couldn't believe it. It just seemed so impossible. It was so…unexpected. He felt betrayed, lied to; _this must've been what it was like for Holly when…_

"Artemis Fowl," The newcomer spoke for the first time. His voice sounded different from when Artemis had heard it last.

Despite his disbelief, Artemis had to try to remain dignified. This was not time for a sob fest.

He picked himself up mentally. "Yes?"

The newcomer laughed at Artemis' seemingly calm demeanor. "Does this not come as a surprise to you?"

"Yes, it does; greatly so." Artemis raised an eyebrow in order to prove his point. His act was paying off; he still thought of him as emotionless about his betrayal.

The newcomer shook his head. "Always the same Artemis. Tell me old friend, how does it feel to be blindsided?"

Artemis was ready to yell. Old friend? How dare he call him an old friend?! He was a liar, a cheap excuse for what Artemis had thought of as a friend. "You are no old friend of mine." His voice dripped with venom. "You-"

"Oh, what's wrong Artemis?" He interrupted. "Don't like the taste of your own medicine? Imagine this as how Holly felt, when you lied to her. She still thinks of you as a friend. You think of her as something more…"

"I told you that in confidentiality." Artemis growled.

"And how do you think dear Alexander here knew about your fondness of her? Read my mind did he? No, I told him. I told him _everything_." He smiled ruthlessly.

"You see Artemis," Sier/Alexander entered the conversation. "This is why trust is a weakness. When you trust someone, you lay your life in their hands; allow them to do with it what they chose."

"You stabbed me in the back. I thought of you as a man with more honor than that." Artemis spoke as if Sier/Alexander hadn't uttered a word. This was between him and his newfound enemy.

"You thought wrong." He answered bluntly.

Artemis shook his head and reserved to looking at the floor.

"Say my name Artemis."

He shook his head again.

"Say my name Artemis." He repeated.

Artemis looked up at him. The picture of a one time friend, companion…and bodyguard flashed into his mind, and compared it with the picture in front of him.

He sighed. "Domovoi Butler."

Butler smiled at his ex-charge's vulnerability.

"Yes, tell me Artemis, how does reality taste?"

* * *

Holly woke up, feeling like she was in the middle of a hangover. The light streaming down on her from the ceiling was _not_ helping her headache at all. Regardless, that was not the only reason she didn't want to open her eyes. If she opened her eyes, then it would prove everything was real. She would much rather believe it was just a terrible nightmare, than have to face facts.

And she was ashamed.

Despite the knowledge that she had been drugged, her captor hadn't graced her with a drug that rendered her unconscious of her actions during the effects that they had made on her. She couldn't imagine how much she possibly hurt Artemis.

_I love this man.  
I don't care about you.  
Just leave me; I never want to see you again._

Lies, all lies; induced by a drug which had restored her magic, but at the same time taken over her body and vocal cords. It was as if the words were programmed into the drink that she had been offered by that strange, strange man.

The strange, strange man who had posed as her fiancé, mesmerized her great aunt, captured her in the most inconvenient outfit that she owned, and was quite possibly torturing one of her best friends.

That had made _her_ torture one of her best friends.

She had seen the look on Artemis' face after her words had sunk in. He had been cut deep. She knew that her opinion meant something to him, just not that much. And worst of all, he seemed to believe it. Didn't he believe that she had more respect for him than that?

When Holly had demanded a visa and gone to visit Artemis two years ago, in complete rage, he let her talk to him. She stated that she was going to quit the LEP, because they were all a bunch of 'close-minded, male biased, unethical bastards'. Artemis told her that she was being pathetic. When she looked ready to punch him, he stated that she wasn't thinking and that she was better than most of them anyways. That she shouldn't let them get to her, because quitting would be just what they wanted her to do. When she asked him about why he had said what he did later, he told her that a scientist named Richard Dawkins once said, "I respect you too much to respect your ridiculous idea." He left it at that.

Artemis respected her. He proved it that day. So why wouldn't he believe that she also respected him?

Holly's thoughts were interrupted when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Deciding to act like she was still unconscious, she slowed her breathing and turned slightly so her ears would have a better range.

Someone sat down next to her.

She didn't want to open her eyes in case it was that Sier freak, but when they touched her arm, she couldn't take it.

"Okay, back off. I-"

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

Holly blushed. "Sorry, I thought you were that Sier guy…Oh Frond! Are you okay?"

A cut stretched from just below his hazel eye to half way down his cheek. He raised his hand to it protectively. "Yes, I'm fine. Sier just…wanted to send a warning."

Holly sat up and placed her hand on his cheek. He shivered at contact, and she whipped her hand back. "Did that hurt?"

Artemis cleared his throat. "No, no. Sorry just-never mind."

Holly raised an eyebrow and continued their previous conversation, while healing his wound. "What do you mean by _wanted to send a warning_?"

"He knew that we switched eyes. So he cut me just under yours so it would look like-"

"You were crying." Holly finished for him.

"Right, but he specifically put it under your eye because he means to cause both of us pain." He sighed as the pain was removed from his cheek by Holly's magic.

Then she gasped. "Artemis, I think you're going to have a scar."

He smirked. "Cruel beings they are."

"Wait, there are two? Who's with him?"

Artemis looked down. "Holly I really don't want to answer that."

Holly narrowed her eyes. "Artemis, tell me."

He looked up at her. The fresh scar on his cheek looked more than ever like a tear track. "Butler.", was all he had to say.

"No. No it can't be." Holly's features were graced with terror.

"Who do you think did this to me?" He asked, pointing to his cheek.

Holly's brow furrowed as she put her hand on his cheek, brushing it across so she could feel the slight rise and fall of the scar. It took all of Artemis' strength to restrain from shivering again.

Sympathy was etched into her face. "This is my fault."

Artemis wanted to lean into Holly's hand so badly. He sighed while closing his eyes. "Don't start that."

"Start what?" She shot back.

"The conversation that starts with you saying 'This is my fault.' and then I say 'No it isn't.' and we get into an argument." He opened his eyes and smiled teasingly. "I'm too tired to fight right now."

Holly smiled. She stopped stroking his face and slapped him lightly. "There, we just skipped to my part."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "I'm going to sleep now."

Holly laughed. "Coward" She stuck her tongue out at him and rolled over.

Despite everything, Artemis had to smile.

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**Okay, two things about this chapter...**

**One: Like I said before, from the first time I thought about posting this, I promised myself that it would be A/H. I also promised myself that it would be as original/unique as possible. I think that Butler has major villain potential. So sorry if you like him and think that he should always be a good guy; because I don't.**

**Two: Artemis (and possibly Holly) was OOC in this chapter...I realize that. So please don't obsessively tell me that he was, because like I said before, I _realize _that. I think of it as more of a response to his lifetime friend becoming his enemy, because I will_ not_ make him cry. That would be _too_ OOC. Then again, like some people say, it's fan fiction. It's supposed to be unrealistic.**

**That being said, I thank my reviewers! Congrats to those of you who guessed HalF human. (The underlined _h_ there wasn't included in the name, and the capitalized _F_ in half was the beginning letter of the last name.) You receive a brownie point in my books. You might also realize that I upped the rating, purely and solely for language...I don't know how fast I'll be able to update the next chapter...I love soccer but it takes over my life a bit...**

**"My main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that, as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably."**

**— George Bernard Shaw**


	5. Chapter Five: Explanations

**Okay, so it's been a while...But I have excuses! I'm just not going to bore you with them. We can say I was busy, because I think that sums up my last week quite nicely. Here's the next chappie. I hope it clears things up a bit. Also, I'd like to know if I'm moving too fast with this. If the speed is good or if I should spend more time working on descriptiveness, etcetera, etcetera. Maybe tell me in a review?**

* * *

"Artemis?" Holly whispered. When he didn't move she tried again. "Artemis?" Still no answer… "Artemis!" She punched his arm to wake him up.

Then a shot of pain ricochet through her body. "Ouch!" Both she and Artemis exclaimed at the same time.

"Why did you do that?" Artemis asked as he sat up, wiping the sleep off of his face.

Holly rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't wake up. What in Frond's name was that?" She questioned.

"You punched me. So I experienced pain. I think it's fairly obvious what the outcome of physical violence is Holly." He teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up. I meant that I felt something too."

"Ah, the wonders of karma…" Artemis smiled while Holly glared at him.

"Oh you little…" She slapped him again…

…and felt pain go through her body once again.

"What in Frond's name!?" She yelled as she held her throbbing arm.

"Holly, are you okay?" Artemis was becoming worried. She was slapping him. Not the other way around.

Artemis started inspecting her arm, and Holly felt a tingle go through her body as she continued."Yeah, it's just-that was weird. I mean-"

"Am I interrupting something?" Sier's voice boomed around them.

Holly removed Artemis' arm from hers as she responded to the disembodied voice. "Nope, just experiencing random pain; please, continue." Holly's voice was taut and sarcastic. Artemis could see that she wasn't as _head over heels_ as Sier proclaimed. He smiled, it was just a drug.

Sier feigned a hurt tone in his voice. "Oh my darling, is that _any_ way to talk to your fiancé?"

Holly rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't marry you if you were the last person on and under the earth."

Artemis' smile grew wider.

"I hardly think so my dear. You see, sometimes you will do anything for those that love you."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "And what might you be implying by that?"

"You shall find that out later. For now, Arty boy, your old friend wants to see you." Both Artemis and Holly were aggravated that Sier was using pet names for them.

"Well, I do _not_ want to see him." Artemis stated, crossing his arms.

"Fowl don't act like a five year old; stop pouting and follow the guard at the door to Domovoi. Or he shall forcibly remove you." Sier threatened.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "I am not acting like a five year old. I will follow the guard on one condition." He seemed placid.

"Oh, humor me. What is it?" Sier acted like it was all a game; which to him it probably was.

Artemis got to the point immediately. "I wish to know what was in that drug. And why Holly could possibly be experiencing pain."

"Did she or anything else hurt _you_?" Sier asked.

"Yes."

Sier laughed. "That would be the bonding solution."

"Excuse me, but what would a bonding solution be?" Holly broke into the conversation.

"It would be, my dear, a solution which I placed in your drug and a drug which Artemis was forced to take. It links you two together. So when one experiences pain, the other does too and vice versa. Ingenious don't you think? It's the ultimate torture device. When one is being attacked, the other not only can be forced to watch, but to feel hurt themselves; physically and mentally, you see." Sier was obviously very excited about his revolutionary creation.

"How did you develop the solution?" Artemis, always curious, asked.

"I have answered enough questions for now." Sier waved to the guard near the door. "Follow this guard or else."

Artemis simply nodded, and started walking behind the guard. He had gotten his wish for now. It was obviously frightening, but also oddly comforting to have the ability of knowing when Holly was being hurt. He could only hope that it didn't occur often.

Once Artemis had reached the door to what seemed like a library, he saw Domovoi for the second time. The bodyguard still seemed like an old friend. He still looked like an old friend. However Artemis knew he was anything but. He was a menacing demon who turned his back on the people that trusted him. Artemis would have to treat him like he would have treated anyone else; at the age of twelve. The cold demeanor would need to be taken out of its old dusty box, which sat in the far corner of his mind, unused for the past five years.

As Artemis neared the table which his old friend was sitting at, Domovoi smiled. Artemis' face stood unperturbed as he sat down across from the older man.

"Artemis." He nodded in recognition.

"Domovoi." Artemis replied, knowing that by using his name it would trigger memories of how loyal he was to him; how he refused to let him die, yet here he was, torturing him.

"Very nice Artemis," Butler was still smiling, even as he realized what Artemis was trying to do. "Perhaps you would like to know why I left your friendship behind. Why I chose the path in which I did?"

The younger man simply nodded.

"Well you see Artemis," Butler stood as he started to explain. "A bodyguard lives for excitement. When I found out that I would be protecting the next Fowl heir, you can't imagine my excitement. It was wonderful for the first thirteen years. But then _she_ came along and decided that you being a criminal was bad for your health and the wellbeing of the world, so she changed you. You went legal, you changed your perspective."

"Butler I've lived my life, I do not need you to tell me what I've done." Artemis interrupted.

Domovoi kept his calm as he continued. "No, but I've had to be there, so let me finish." Butler retraced his position in his explanation. "You changed, and so instead of getting to go into action and help you complete your devious plans, we stayed at the manor and I was forced out of the battlefield and into a world of boredom, while you created energy efficient cars and saved endangered species. That is not what I signed up for. This is." He gestured around him. "In less than 72 hours this entire place will be a war zone. For the first time in your life you will have to fend for yourself."

The smile on his face was that of a terrorist; someone who loved to play with the lives of the innocent, someone who took risks as a hobby and played with guns as a natural enjoyment. This was someone that Artemis had helped make. Blinded by a passion that could easily tear him apart, as it did; a passion not so different from that of Artemis', which he almost let tear him apart.

For one of the first times in his life, he silently thanked Holly for her morals.

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**You know what to do...again, I think that green button down there looks _pretty _tasty...**

**And of course...these are becoming what seems to be a hobby of mine.**

**********************"There is nothing so annoying as to have two people talking when you're busy interrupting."**

**********************--Mark Twain  
**


	6. Chapter Six: Finally

**...Sorry about the last chapter. It was more of a filler/explanation chappie...Anyways hope you like this one!**

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As soon as Artemis left the room, Holly questioned Sier about the one thought that had been lingering in her mind.

"Does your emotional state count too?" She looked around for a camera in the room but found none. She turned back to the speaker; at least it would talk back to her.

"Yes." The devious smile could be practically heard through the crackling amp. Holly shook her head. She had been feeling unusually depressed lately; that explained it.

"Why? What did I ever do to you? What did he ever do to you?" She hoped Artemis had been as legal as he had promised her in the past few years. The last thing they needed was someone trying to get revenge on the mastermind, and including her in the madness of it all.

"Oh, my darling, it's not just you and him. It's everyone; the whole population of fairies, and the humans that support them. Do you think I wanted to be half? Do you think I wanted to be exiled by my only people? The fairies wouldn't take me. The humans wouldn't accept me. What was I left to do?" Holly tapped her foot as she waited for him to answer his rhetorical question. 3, 2, 1…"Nothing. I was left with nothing. They took my parents away. Mind wiped them, and suddenly I'm alone. Nowhere to go and I had to fend for myself. Now you and the mud boy will have to experience the same. I can't take much of your family away, except that great aunt of yours. It's a shame really. She seemed like she would have had another fifty years or so."

She narrowed her eyes. "You didn't."

"But I did."

Holly threw her head into her hands as the truth sunk in. She knew that one day she would be left with no living relatives; she had even admitted to Artemis that her aunt wouldn't live much longer. But somehow, it was just such a shock. No one was ever really ready to let someone go. No one really got over it. Holly was close with her great aunt though, closer than most people would be. Having no other living 'descendants' did that to her aunt. She tried to spoil Holly when she had enough money, and when she didn't she would grace her with her presence. Such an amazing aura was brought by her aunt. She had seen so much. She had taught Holly much. She was a role model to her. And to lose all that in what seemed like a flash was terrifying. She silently sobbed, while Sier did his best to conduct a clichéd maniacal laugh at her vulnerable pain.

* * *

As Artemis was walking back to his cell, he tried to take in his surroundings, attempting to look for a way out. He rubbed his eyes in frustration. Thinking had been hard lately. It was as if things were blurred in his mind; as if Sier had put something in the drug he had been forced to take. _He probably did._ There it was, his only asset, gone. Or so it seemed. It was as if he knew the answer, the perfect plan, however his vision couldn't quite reach it. He knew it was there, but what was there he was not unaware of.

Artemis was pulled from his thoughts as a strike of pain went dumbly through his body. He sent an accusing glare at the guard, but he looked as shocked as Artemis was as he watched the young man roll over in agony. _Holly…Holly…Holly!_ As Artemis remembered the bonding solution, he mentally scolded himself for forgetting something so important. This meant that Holly was experiencing pain, and judging by the throbbing that kept moving through his body, quite a lot of pain. The guard hesitantly picked Artemis up, and carried/dragged him back to the cell.

A few minutes after Artemis hit the floor, he felt numb. He attempted to look up at the guard, though he couldn't feel his neck. When he saw his escort pull a needle out of Holly's arm, he understood why he was feeling numb. But by the time the guard had closed the door, he could only feel relaxed; artificially relaxed. In no part of his mind was he truthfully relaxed.

This meant that the bond between Holly and him went deeper than just physical pain. He was starting to be affected by her emotions. He could sense her fear, but also her determination. He could almost see her respect for certain people; him being one of them. He had a consciousness of Butler being one of them too, but sense that he was rubbing away. He could feel her jealousy of people, her hate. He could see her admiration of others, and her passion for her job. The longer he looked into her mind, the more doors opened for him. He started to see into her imagination, into her thoughts. This scared Artemis, but also excited him. He could see into her thoughts, but didn't that mean that she could see into his? He wasn't sure that he wanted that. What if Holly could see what plans his mind was making, but he couldn't? That felt like a violation of his genius abilities. And maybe, just maybe, it could be an advantage to them. They thought of Artemis as the brains, and Holly as the brawn. But now, that might be able to switch.

For the first time in a while, Artemis felt he knew something that no one else did…It felt good.

* * *

**I freaked when I reached 20 reviews. Like jumped up and down and up and down...etcetera...until 22 times later...**

**The more you click the little green button, the more I jump...and the faster I update.**

******"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes."**

******--Jack Handey**


	7. Chapter Seven: Connections & Opinions

**Thanks to my reviewers.**

* * *

Heartbeats. She could hear heartbeats. However, normal as this may be considered, she knew they weren't hers. They were pumping at a different rate than hers. And hers and theirs pumped in a simultaneous beat; hers, theirs, hers, theirs. This was starting to worry her. How could she hear someone else's heart beating? It was impossible. She dismissed it as a strange excuse for a nightmare, and woke with a start.

As she opened her eyes and regained consciousness, the beating stopped. Thankful, she sat up quickly. A little but too quickly though, this was judged by the sudden dizziness that clouded over her vision.

_Please don't do that. You'll give me a headache as well._

Holly froze. She looked around and saw that Artemis was meditating. Who had spoken then? "Artemis?" He didn't move, too concentrated to even hear her speak. "Artemis, answer me." At his unresponsive facial expression and the lack of words emitting from his mouth, she internally swore at him.

_Damn mud boy. D'arvit Artemis!_

_Holly, don't swear at me._

She was taken aback as she heard the voice again. However, Artemis' face kept its passive expression. She wondered briefly if there was a possibility that being around crazy people was making her hear things.

_You know, there is a line between crazy and genius._

Holly turned around to see said genius, still unmoving. "Artemis. This is really starting to freak me out now. Wake up from whatever trance you're in and talk to me. Artemis?"

_Holly I am talking to you. Talk to me; with your mind._

With her mind, huh? She mulled over what she should say, when Artemis notified her that he could already hear what she was thinking about thinking, so there was no need to plan ahead. Frustrated, Holly thought without thinking about what she was thinking…or something.

_Artemis Fowl you are such a know it all!_

On the other side of the room, Artemis' unexpressive face smiled cruelly.

_That is generally the gift that comes with being a genius, Holly. But thank you for recognizing it._

Holly glared at him. _I didn't mean it as a compliment. Artemis? Not to be rude or anything but how is it possible that you can hear my thoughts, and I can hear yours._

This was the one thing that Artemis had forced his brain through. Even though he couldn't think quite clearly enough to formulate a plan, he had been able to figure out how he could read Holly's thoughts hours prior to when she woke up.

_The bonding solution that Sier put into our drugs has abilities in which I think he is unaware of. In summary, we are much more a part of one another than we thought. I think that talking like this gives us more privacy though, because we don't have to worry about the security cameras hearing us build a plan. By the way, you seemed to be experiencing a lot of pain when I entered the cell; are you okay?_

Holly sniffed before closing her eyes and turning to face away from the vacant Artemis. She knew that he could not see or hear her, but she felt so vulnerable.

_He killed my aunt._

There was no reply. She wasn't expecting one.

Just then, she felt two unexpectedly strong arms wrap around her. She opened her eyes to see Artemis hugging her tightly.

"When Mother thought that Father had died in the Fowl Star, she did something like this. That was of course before she lost her mind. She took me in her arms and told me that everyone needed a hug once in a while. And that it released endorphins. That I already knew, but I also learned, as much as I hate to say it, a good hug can really make up for unspoken words." He looked down at her. "A genius, I may be. However even I cannot think of words that one would say after a close friend has lost someone that they truly care about."

Holly gave him a weak smile, and then dug her face into his shirt, attempting to escape from the real world. However, she discovered something else. Something in which Artemis realized the second that he read her thoughts.

Having one another close was something that could only be described as refreshing. Artemis felt a wave of relief wash over his mind, and he was that much closer to being able to think clearly. Holly felt as though her aunt passing was something that she would want her dear niece to move on from. She no longer felt the need to hide, and therefore detached herself from Artemis.

But as soon as she did that, the previous emotions came back into play with their minds, and after about twenty seconds of realizing this Holly was back in Artemis' arms, feeling the pain fade off of her. She sighed deeply and Artemis couldn't help but smile.

Truth be told, he loved having her in his arms. And having the knowledge that him and only him could take that pain away from her, made him receive a skip in his heart beat.

A skip, which did not go unmissed by the brain of one Holly Short.

* * *

Knowing that he couldn't just sit there holding Holly all day, Artemis forced himself to pull away from Holly.

"Hey," She spoke as he removed her head from his shoulder.

"Holly we need to _think_ of a plan." He exaggerated 'think' as a warning of him entering her mind.

She sighed, but nodded and moved to sit across from him.

_Holly, I've been having a hard time thinking lately. I need to know if you can see any deeper than what I'm projecting to you._

She closed her eyes. Artemis was partially worried when he had been weighing the odds of her being able to see his private thoughts. However, when she woke up, there seemed to be a barrier blocking everything that her mind had given more thought towards. Hopefully it was the same with his.

_I can see…nothing. It's almost as if something's just not opening for me. Wait, are you doing that on purpose?_

He rolled his eyes at her, thanking his brain for not revealing his secrets. _Holly, there are some things in my mind that I like to keep to myself. Obviously I'm keeping some under lock and key._

"Artemis, you're one of my best friends. Best friends are not supposed to keep secrets."

_You're talking out loud._

_I don't care._

_You weren't talking to me were you?_

She rolled her eyes. _No. There are some things in my mind that I like to keep to myself. _She parroted._ Why can't you tell me?_

Artemis sighed. _Holly would you tell me your secrets?_

She looked thoughtful. _I would if I knew I could trust you. _Then she remembered that he could read her thoughts. _Artemis I didn't mean that!_

He sat there for a minute. Then replied coldly. "Yes you did." He got up and walked to the other side of the room. Leaning on the wall, he tried his best to think of a plan.

_Stay out of my thoughts Short._

Holly was surprised by the sudden change in Artemis' personality. So her opinion meant something to him. That much was obvious. But why it meant so much, when he had so many other opinions to favor was beyond her. Foaly's opinion was wiser, Mulch's opinion was more humorous, that Minerva girl's opinion was more correct and Artemis' opinion was _always_ correct. Why did he need hers?

Once she had fallen asleep, the connection was once again lost between the pair. It seemed to only work when they were both conscious of their thoughts. As soon as she couldn't hear him, Artemis started listing reasons why her opinion meant something to him.

He found more than he could think of for his own opinion.

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**Poor Holly...I've made her so clueless. Then again, they say love is blind. Review?**


	8. Chapter Eight: Rage

**So I've noticed that it's very hard to update on weekdays, simply because of homework, friends, family and basically my life off of this site. But I will try to update when I can. Sorry for the delay. Oh, and WARNING there's some language in this one.**

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_Artemis, talk to me._

He still refused to answer. Still, even though he knew he couldn't stay mad at her; the curse that she set upon him. He wanted more than anything to just be mad. He couldn't though. However, that didn't mean that he had to talk to her. She thought he was mad at her, and that was revenge enough.

_Artemis. You're causing me d'arvitting emotional pain. Can't you feel it?_

And he could. But he still didn't answer.

_Fine. I don't know what you want me to do._

And there was nothing she could do. He wasn't really mad. After all, you can't fix something that isn't broken.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything,"

Holly sighed, too tired to roll her eyes. "If you were you would still continue, so please. Spare us." Holly was sick of this bastard. He kept trying to mess with their heads. _Artemis is doing a good enough job at that. _

_I heard that._

_You were meant to._

Artemis looked over at her. Raising an eyebrow, he turned back to the speaker.

"What do you want?" He asked.

"Arty, Arty, I expected a more creative greeting than that."

"Well, when one is locked up in a cell, against their will, for days, one's polite manner begins to fade." He looked over at Holly, who had her eyes closed, rubbing her temples; something she'd picked up from Artemis. He smirked. "Answer my question."

Sier chuckled. "Artemis, you're not in control this time. You should know not to demand answers from your captor. However, the reason that I am currently talking to you, is something that I find too pleasing to keep to myself.

"Holly, do you remember our why I am doing all this? How I said I would take from you what was taken from me? Well, you've paid your price, now it's time for Artemis to pay his."

"What are you two talking about?"

As Holly realized what Sier was talking about, she didn't even hear Artemis speak.

"Please, tell me you didn't."

"I can't do that."

Holly's shocked face wouldn't believe it. "No, no not to him too! He's young! He hasn't had the time that I did! He hasn't had the time with them! He hasn't had the chance! Please!"

"Holly, what are you talking about?" Artemis looked down at her.

But she simply shook her head, her eyes unfocused, trying to believe that this wasn't right. That Sier was lying. No, she was trying to _convince_ herself that he was lying; for Artemis' sake. As she turned to him, her face was grave.

And she wouldn't meet his eyes.

That was what started worrying him. Based on her facial expression, her stricken words, and the fact that she refused to look at him, he knew she didn't want to tell him something. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. This only proved Artemis' theory.

"What did you do Sier? Stop torturing her like this and tell me what you did!"

"But Artemis, she's the one trying to refrain from torturing you."

Holly still wouldn't look at him.

"What do you mean?" Artemis was _really_ not enjoying being the one who asked all the questions. He was _supposed_ to know all the answers; he hoped that whatever Sier had put in that drug would wear off soon. He needed to be able to think.

"Why don't you ask the elf?"

Artemis turned to Holly. As he realized that she was crying, he knelt down in front of her.

_Holly._

She still wouldn't face him.

He very gently took the tip of her chin, and guided it up to face him. However, her eyes were still closed. Pushing a stray strand of hair out of her face and wiping back an oncoming tear, he thought again.

_Holly... Holly look at me. _

Opening her eyes very slowly, she looked up at him. Eyes wide, she gave him the most innocent look he had ever seen in his life; the saddest look he had ever seen in his life. He chose there and then, that he never wanted to see that look on Holly ever again. It caused him pain, or that could have been the bonding solution, for whatever reason she was crying.

_Artemis, you know that I never want to see you hurt, right?  
_Since she wasn't forced to actually speak the words, her sobs didn't hitch her voice.

_Yes, if I didn't, then I do now._  
Artemis wiped another tear from her eyes.

_Good…That's why I can't tell you._

_Holly I'll be able to take whatever you say. I can deal with it._

She shook her head.  
_No Artemis, because I've been there. It hurts so much. I can't put you through that; at least not knowing what it feels like._

_But I have to know._

She sighed, closing her eyes, and forcing herself to stop crying. Once she had calmed down, she opened her eyes, and looked straight into his eyes.

"He killed your parents."

"P-pardon?"

She shook her head. "Please, don't make me say it again."

He closed his eyes; taking this new information in.

_Remember how when I hugged you, it made you feel better?_

She caught on quickly, and threw her arms around him immediately. When she touched his arm, he felt some of the pain fade, but not enough. Holding her tight, he composed his blurry mind, and painfully refrained from spilling any tears.

Painfully. Which meant that both experienced the throbbing disbelief that came with losing a close loved one. Both did, because they couldn't bear to see the other like that.

"Artemis I thought you valued your parents more. Can't even shed a few tears?"

Not detaching himself from Holly, he answered, his voice wavering slightly. "I'm trying to figure out if my brain wants me to be sorrowful or raging about this." Then he stopped. Eyes going even more wide, he asked the final question. "What about my brothers?"

"You know, you were lucky on that one. They weren't there when I sent Domovoi. Maybe went away on a trip? Anyways, they don't matter at the moment. Just the fact that you have had your elders taken away from you is enough for me."

"So, they're still…" Artemis didn't want to make himself say it out loud. It would be like having thousands of bricks fall down on him in full realization. And he couldn't let himself turn into an emotional sobbing mess. Not during their current predicament.

"Very much alive, yes."

Sighing a breath of relief, he moved away from Holly, instantly feeling worse. But he picked himself up. No way was he going to give this bastard what he wanted. He wouldn't let himself show any more emotion. He simply needed to do what it took to defeat these blood thirsty devils and find his brothers.

But by then his body had decided that it was going to be raging instead of sorrowful, and decided that to do so he would get rid of the annoying sound of dear Mister Sier. Reaching up to grab the tiny speaker in the corner of the room, he thanked his body for having grown taller over the years, and smashed the electronic device on the hard cement floor.

Throughout the entire building, a scream of fury could be heard; and it wasn't that of Artemis'.

* * *

**Don't get too mad at me...and I'm sorry if they were OOC...I tried.**


	9. Chapter Nine: Power & Control

"What was _that_?"

Holly's question went unanswered as they heard stomping proceeding in their direction. As Sier rounded the corner, two burly guards on either side, he glared at Artemis.

"Do you have _any_ idea how expensive those cameras are?!" He shouted at the younger man.

"Really? You're getting worked up about your precious camera? You just killed both of my parents. I should be shouting, not you. You are such a hypocritical bastard." Artemis spat the last few words to emphasize his point.

Sier's eyebrows rose, unperturbed by the insults. "I really don't think that you should insult me like that. One more time, and it'll be the last." He threatened.

"Oh, really?" Artemis pressed, even though he was not in the position of power to do so.

"Artemis, just stop it. It's pointless." Holly broke into the conversation.

"I refuse to be made a fool of, Captain. Stay out of it."

"Arty, maybe you should listen to your girlfriend. She seems to be thinking more than you."

"Of course she is! I can't think straight anymore, not after you drugged me!"

_Artemis,_ Holly warned him. _You're acting unrealistically. This isn't you, stop it._

"Is it my fault that the drug had some side effects?" Sier asked, still calm despite the fact that he had a taller man yelling at him.

"Hell yes. You bastard-"

"Enough! Fowl you are going to regret that." Finally Sier's brow creased as he became angry.

Artemis crossed his arms. "I hardly doubt that any abuse from your body guards will change my mood towards you."

"As do I, which is why they say, 'If you want something done right, do it yourself.'"

As the guards walked briskly from the room, Artemis got a better look at Sier, comical was the only word that he could think of to describe the half-fairy. He looked as though he had, possibly, less muscle than Artemis. What was he expecting to do to him that could be worse than the guards?

As he asked himself that, Holly stared at Sier. Looking over in his direction again, Artemis' eyes went wide.

Raising his arms so that they were at his head level, Sier bent them, at the elbow, so that his arms were parallel. Palms facing Artemis, he closed his eyes, and started to hum. Comical looking, yes, but as a wave of light flew from his hands and at Artemis, he was not laughing.

A wind erupted out of the palms of his hands, too. Picking up speed quickly, it became violent. If there had been anything in the room, it would have exploded from the new amount of contrasting air; not moving in any certain direction, just trying to touch everything in the cell. It was the kind of wind that caught your breath and didn't let go. It was the kind of wind that came with terrifying storms, filling the sky with nothing but the darkness that made it impossible to see your hand in front of your face. However, this was no storm. This was some unbelievable form of magic. And magic didn't come in darkness. It came in light. Light; usually a sign of hope and faith, was giving the opposite effect on Artemis and Holly. This light was pure evil. And had Artemis not been thrown from the ground and currently being pressed between the evil light and wind and the unforgiving cement of his cell wall, I'm sure he would have noticed the certain oxymoron-like sense that was brought with the strange magic erupting from Sier's palms.

To his disbelief, Artemis noticed that the wall was starting to form cracks.

Powerful, was the word that Artemis would now use to describe Sier. Comical hardly sounded like a plausible description for someone that had this amount of hidden power. But Artemis had a feeling that Sier hadn't come out of his shell until now for a reason. Perhaps it was because Domovoi and him wanted to surprise Artemis with this blindside once they proclaimed that the battle had begun. However, Sier seemed to lose it at Artemis' disrespectfulness. But as Holly, Artemis, Domovoi and almost everyone that had ever come into contact with him at a bad time all knew, Artemis was always in power; if not literally, then mentally. He would never believe himself to be the person that was receiving blindsides in a situation, always being the person to give them. Always the person to think two steps ahead. But in his current situation, catching sight of Holly next to him, her face contorting in pain, only adding to the agony that Artemis felt as they were both being literally squished between cement and magic, Artemis couldn't feel any more helpless.

Ten minutes later, Sier called back his magic, and Artemis and Holly fell painfully to the floor. Artemis felt like knives were being pulled out of every point of contact that the light and wind had with his body.

Artemis asked the key question as soon as he could get his vocal cords working again. Not removing his body from lying on the floor, he asked, "How did you-"

"Natural human magic." Sier smiled at him, seeing the shock on Artemis' face. "Rare, the stuff is. But since I'm half and half, well, this is one of the limited perks I get."

"So when I s-stole magic from H-Holly, that di-didn't count as natural." Artemis' body was shaking involuntarily, causing him to stutter more than he would have liked.

"No, it has to be naturally in the brain, or else it doesn't work. When you steal magic, it doesn't actually get all the way to your brain, unless you hold onto it." Seeing the expression on Artemis' face that suggested he _had_ held onto it, he continued. "I mean for years. Domovoi told me that you blew all of yours on healing your mother…" He smiled evilly at him. "You should have held onto it. You could have done things, kid. Things beyond your wildest cookie jar dream schemes."

"My 'schemes' as you call them were far beyond stealing a cookie from a jar, thank you very much. And even they are in the past. A power that large I would have no use for."

On the other side of the room, Holly gasped. Seeing Artemis and his conversing adversary look over to her, and hearing Sier's leery tone in his voice when he said, "What is it my darling?" she tried to put on an impassive expression and dismiss the gasp as nothing more than a hiccup.

Sier still looked suspicious, but he continued his conversation with Artemis.

"Everyone has a use for power, Artemis. You should know that." With that, he left the cell, locking it behind him, off to find a new camera for his rebellious opposition.

As soon as he had left, Artemis' glare was replaced by concern as he looked at Holly.

_Why did you gasp?_

She closed her eyes. Holly had been on the other side of the room when it had happened. When Artemis had said that he 'would have no use for such power', it had just popped up; right in front of her eyes. She knew that she could hear his thought waves, but she had no idea that she could possibly see something that his mind had left him out of. It was as if he was a cartoon, and a thought bubble had erupted out of his head, even though he had no idea. And she was the only one that could see it.

Giving the best smile she could manage, she replied to his concerned face.

_Artemis. You have a plan._

_

* * *

_**37 reviews...I love you people!**

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**delicious.**


	10. Chapter Ten: A Plan

**Wow, it's been a while huh? ...Just to let you all know, I have nothing against the colour green.**

* * *

Artemis stared at Holly for a few minutes, before replying.

_I'm sorry, excuse me?_

She smirked. _You have a plan._

_But, that…how would you know that, but I don't? I mean, that's just…_

_But I can. I don't understand why…if you don't than I probably never will, but just when you said that you'd never have any use of that power, something flashed and I saw it. Arty, this might work; we could get out of here. _She smiled at the thought of finally escaping.

Artemis took a few minutes to compose himself before thinking towards her again. _Well, since I already feel very exposed at the moment, seeing as you can see my thoughts and I can't, I'm not sure I wish to know this plan._

_Okay, so it goes like this, _She continued despite his request for the opposite. He rolled his eyes, but allowed her to continue. _Since Sier said that you would have to obtain natural human magic to perform that kind of phenomenon, you stealing my magic didn't work. But, if you had natural magic, than you could do just that._

_But Holly, I can't get natural magic. I'm not a half-bred._

She continued, ignoring what he said. _But what Sier doesn't know is that we can see into each other's minds. And the strength of the connection was proved when I was able to see something in your mind that you can't. My magic is natural, because I am a natural creature. Since my magic for healing runs through my body, that wouldn't help. However, the Mesmer is a completely mind based part of my magic. So if you can see into my mind, and I have magic stored in my mind, then-_

_I could possibly transfer some of your magic into my mind, and if it works, then there would be a high chance that it would be classified as natural since your magic is natural, and I could obtain the amount of power that Sier has. _He finished for her.

She nodded, smiling.

_The only part that we have to figure out is-_

_How to transfer the magic. _He finished for her again, relishing in the pride that came with coming up with a plan.

She leaned back on the wall, wincing from the remaining pain of Sier's magic.

_Got any ideas on that one genius? _She asked, closing her eyes. Artemis watched her, and thanking himself for at least realizing that he could hide some of his thoughts from her if he concentrated, he gazed at her semi-relaxed features, wondering what it would take to have enough concentration on each other to transfer magic.

* * *

"They just stare at each other."

Alexander looked at Butler.

"No talking, no planning, no nothing."

He looked back to the screen where their backup camera was watching Artemis and Holly stare intently at each other. Their faces changed expressions, and eyes would light up every once in a while, as if excited, but they were still saying nothing.

"Artemis has always been a strange one." Butler mused. "Maybe they're reading each other's minds."

They both laughed nervously, as if each calculating the possibility of that being true.

* * *

Two hours later, on the other side of the camera, Artemis and Holly were still sitting by the wall, only Artemis had chosen to sit beside Holly as he fell asleep, and as a result, her head lolled onto his shoulder. This is what our dear genius woke up to.

He had wrapped his arm around her protectively while unconscious. And now he was panicking.

Artemis Fowl the Second did _not _panic.

Yet here he was, looking cross-eyed down at the top of Holly's head, noticing that her hair was getting longer than a crew cut; and finally having the ability to think freely around her. When she was awake he couldn't contemplate anything more than respect for her, because there was a high chance that she would be able to hear him. When she was asleep though, he had found that she was so wrapped up in her dreams that her own thoughts distracted her enough, and he could let her captivate him without worrying about her knowing.

She started to stir and deciding that he didn't want her waking up to him staring at her, Artemis pretended to be asleep. Leaning back against the wall, careful to not shake her, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

Her eyes fluttered open minutes later, and as she took in her current position, she smirked up at Artemis.

"I know you're not sleeping, so you might as well open your eyes."

He did as he was told, one eye at a time, to finding her looking up expectantly at him.

"Morning sunshine." He teased, giving a broad smile.

She laughed. "Good morning, now are you going to let go of me?"

He closed his eyes again and smiled. "Nope." He sighed, finally becoming relaxed.

Laughing harder, she answered. "Come on Arty, we need to figure some stuff out."

His heart fluttered at the pet name, but he kept himself under control. "We can talk here. I'm actually quite comfortable." He looked down at her. "Are you uncomfortable?"

"No it's just, isn't this a bit weird?" She looked away from him.

He thought about it for a minute, and decided that agreeing would end any forming early morning fight that he would want no part of. "Fine, fine, but when you're cold in five minutes, don't come crawling back to me." He unwrapped his arm from around her waist, and instantly, like he had said, she felt a rush of cool air.

She crossed her arms. "That's not fair; you knew I would be cold." She defended, rubbing her arms to get the blood flowing in them and trying to massage out the goose bumps already forming on her arms.

He laughed. "I think it was fairly obvious. I mean you tore your dress to shreds."

"It was _huge_…I wasn't going to fight in that." She gestured to her new apparel: she had kept the top, but torn away the huge train. And, ever prepared, she had worn a pair of shorts underneath the dress. Now she had simply the extravagant top half of the gown, and some LEP training shorts, along with bits of the train that refused to be torn. As a result, she didn't look much better in her new design than she did in the 'marshmallow dress' as they had settled on.

"Go use your train as a blanket then." Artemis suggested.

Holly looked over at the heap of torn white fabric. "Rather not."

Not before rolling his eyes, Artemis rolled over, and closed them.

_Fine, _She broke into his mind before he could leave it. _But we need to think of a plan._

_Holly, _He replied, massaging his temples, _I already have a plan. It just seems a _tad_ bit reckless._

_Care to share, mud boy?_

Rolling his eyes, he continued. _Well as we already know, when one of us is asleep, the other cannot hear their thoughts and vice versa. Therefore, in order to transfer magic between our brain waves, we would have to be completely focused on one another._

_So what you're thinking is…_

Her breath caught as Artemis broke the wall between his final hidden thoughts. She could see what he was thinking then, and she didn't understand how Artemis could so freely assume that she would agree to his plan. Reckless wasn't the word for his thoughts; she would decide that inconsiderate was more on target.

* * *

**Ooh, cliffy!**

**I'm not sure if this 'plan' for the story will make sense in other people's minds or if it's just one of those ideas that only makes sense in mine. Let me know?**

**"A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it."  
--Danielle Steel**


	11. Chapter Eleven: Feeling Good

_Artemis I, I…_ "How could you believe that I would just agree to something like that?"

_Holly, you're talking out loud. We can't have Sier hear us. Listen, I told you it was reckless. But my brain is so cloudy. I can barely think. It's either this or we stay here until they come to kill us._

_Look Artemis, when I did that back in time, it may have not been completely caused by hormones. But I put myself out on a limb there and…then I find out that the person that I finally broke down my wall of trust for is building a moat around himself. You lied Artemis, and while I do forgive you, I don't completely trust you._

_I don't expect you to trust me Holly. Words can't describe how sorry I am. That was honestly one of the most terrible decisions in my life, but that aside, you don't need to trust me to kiss me. It's just business._

Holly tried to convince herself that it would only be business. It wouldn't ruin any friendship they had now or bring anything else together. But, obviously, business and kissing didn't quite go in the same sentence in her mind.

She did want to go home though, and Artemis, of all people, wouldn't take it too seriously. Artemis could be all business when he wanted to. And she had to expect that this wouldn't be an exception.

Sighing, she replied, _Fine, but this better work._

Artemis simply nodded. He looked up, straight into her eyes as if apologizing. Words couldn't describe how sorry he was, but that one expression somehow made her believe that he was.

She sat down next to him. Taking a deep breath, she moved closer until they were only inches apart. She stared back into his eyes for one more minute before breathing, "I believe you."

He smiled a genuine smile then. It was a strain on his facial muscles that he wasn't completely used to, but Holly could always bring it out in him. He cupped her cheek with his hand, and slowly closed the space between them. As soft as her whisper had been, it was gentle, barely happening, although both of them completely aware. Holly felt herself being overwhelmed by the compassionate atmosphere that he brought with the delicate interaction.

After closing her eyes and allowing herself to lose control of her mind, she felt the connection between them strengthen. Artemis, by then, had also let his mind fade, and the link between their brains was ultimately becoming more powerful.

As it had last time, the magic between them sparked, but this time it was must more drastic. Later they would decide it was because magic was being transferred. At that moment though, they were both too concentrated on one another to notice anything but the flash of light that shimmered against their closed eyelids. This brought Artemis back into reality, and once he was sure that the sparks had stopped, he dolefully broke the kiss.

Opening her eyes at the same time as him, they stared at each other until Artemis' body hitched back and started moving uncontrollably. Holly moved to the wall. This didn't come as surprising because she had experienced the same sensation when her body healed itself, only Artemis' body was healing itself into a now magical creature.

After a few more minutes of blinding light, his body relaxed and he lay still on the ground, exhausted.

Holly walked over to him, smirking. _How's that feel?_

He looked up at her. _Like my mind is buzzing with electricity. It's almost as if I have a hyperactive perception. _

She laughed. _That's what it feels like to be running hot._

He laughed with her, but more jittery. _I like it. I haven't felt this good in my entire life._

_Am I right in supposing that your plan worked then, mud boy?_

_I believe so. Otherwise I wouldn't feel like this._

_How about we test it? _She smiled deviously.

He flashed his vampire smile at her. _I think that would be a suitable decision, Miss Short._

And with that decided, they blasted through the walls, in search of Mister Sier and an unfaithful Butler.

* * *

**Finally some A/H action! Tell me if I did good? I don't usually do romance so I want to know how it was. Sorry it's shorter than my usual chappies...but it's out earlier than usual because I got 50 reviews so I was inspired!**

**Review beautiful people!**


	12. Chapter Twelve: Undisclosed Desires

**If I still have any readers after this long, I am sorry. Life's been busy...and I won't bore you with any other excuses. **

* * *

They broke out into a run as they rounded the first corner. Apparently Sier and Butler hadn't taken any chances with the amount of guards they had employed. When Artemis had first tried his magic on them, it had also gone for Holly. And even though it had taken out eleven guards and a wall or two, he didn't dare try it again. It was too risky. Holly had to remind him that he just needed to learn how to control it, before he could fully use it.

Yet he made sure he apologized every five minutes.

And that was driving Holly _mad._

"Artemis, _stop_ saying sorry." They had reverted back to talking since the need for secrecy was far behind them.

He cleared his throat. "Fine."

She rolled her eyes as he stopped running, gasping for breath. "I thought you had been working out?" She teased.

He took in a long breath. "Holly, really, we've been running in circles for hours. It's like a maze in here."

"Well I am not the one with the power to break down walls unfortunately. That would be your expertise." She started pacing around him.

"I will not hurt you again. I refuse the risk."

"Artemis since when do you have a problem with taking risks?" She stopped in front of him, crossing her arms.

He closed his eyes for a second then opened them, staring directly into the mirror of mismatched irises. "Since it could risk _you._"

He left it at that.

And as Holly's heart took an uncharacteristic flutter at this lopsided show of affection, her tiny fingers strayed to her lips, and she could feel the touch of compassion that they had shared earlier.

She tried to render every time Artemis had given her this sideways version of compassion. It added up to many. And as she looked to his retreating back, she realized that once they were separated again, she would miss them.

* * *

"And, pause." He pointed to the screen. "Right there."

As his partner turned to look at him, he raised an eyebrow. "So they just…broke the wall?"

"Yes, quite unusual…" He added dumbly.

"Did you, by any chance, show them your power while I was gone?"

He couldn't leave for two minutes…

Sier stopped, and a large O shape mouth expression forming on his face. "W-wh-what would th-that have to do with-with anything?" He gulped down hard.

"Well, that looks like a human, performing magic. A lot like what I thought of as our _secret_ weapon." Butler rolled his eyes; Sier was powerful, yes. However, he was a spastic lunatic when it came to thinking before he acted.

Sier's eyes went wide. "They have the power." He blinked to wake up from his daze. "That is impossible, though!"

Butler allowed himself a rare chuckle as he started to load his guns. "If there's one thing I learnt from working with that kid, it's that nothing is impossible when it comes to Artemis Fowl."

* * *

Holly had been trying to help him control his magic. But it was like talking to a baby; everything reverted back to the basics.

"Okay, just think straight."

_Straight._

Yet it went to the right.

"Artemis, we don't have all day for this. Soon, you're just going to have to risk everyone in the room." Part of her secretly wanted him to protest; and it was not let down.

"I do not care about everyone in the room. I care about you. Accept that Holly or I will not fight."

"So you would just allow yourself to die, because you don't want to risk hurting me?" She was on the brink of insanity, they had been doing this for so long she had lost track of time.

"If it would keep you safe, then yes." Artemis breathed deeply. He was finally coming to terms with how he felt, and having no idea what every turn of every corner would bring, he had become imprudent with his feelings towards Holly.

"Why Artemis, why? Why do you choose now to care? I don't understand." She buried her head in hands. He wanted nothing more than to comfort her.

But he couldn't.

And that was driving _him_ insane.

"Holly, I am not becoming considerate, with the goal to torture you for it. I thought you would be happier that I am not being so conceded."

She looked up at him. "I am, but…I just want out of here. It's driving me mad. Please, Artemis, just don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

He nodded, walking briskly away.

_Fine. But if I lose you, I will never forgive myself._

His statement did not go unheard by a very confused Holly.

* * *

The walkie talkies were not how Butler worked.

He was a deadly man, with no consideration for others. One of the most lethal men in the entire world, yet here he was, using a child's toy, as his communication device.

Needless to say, he was not having a good day.

But while he was rolling through the tapes again, this time without Sier, he noticed something.

Picking up the small box, he pressed the 'talkie' button, as Sier had put it, with a massive finger.

"I think we have something." His voice sounded destructive, as it mostly always was.

"Very good, very good. I'll head back as soon as I can…over."

Butler rolled his eyes. "Let's act our age Sier."And with that, he gladly smashed the device on the floor. Unneeded? Yes, but it made Butler feel better knowing he would never need to experiment with juvenile toys again.

* * *

"See how she was thrown back a bit? That means he has no control over it." They looked to the screen, replaying the seconds after Artemis had blasted through the wall. Unbeknownst to Artemis, Holly had been impacted by the blast. And Butler was positively sure that Artemis would _never_ try to hurt Holly intentionally.

Sier caught on. "So, we may have the upper hand again."

The vampire smile that Artemis had always been infamous for stretched onto Butlers face. "It seems so."

"And they don't know about that." He added.

"Even better." The smile/smirk overtook his face. Soon, the war would begin.

* * *

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**"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."**

**--Author Unknown**


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Search & Destroy

Around them, they heard the booming voice of Domovoi Butler.

"If you wish to receive your vengeance, Fowl, you will find myself and Mister Sier waiting for you, if you dare to seek us out." The voice was dangerously overjoyed to be threatening someone again.

Artemis' eyes went dark as he listened to his supposed friend and ally try to frighten them. He completely forgot where he was, lost track of his surroundings, as he whispered his response.

"I know you can read lips, my enemy. It was in your job description, don't you remember? When you were working for me, and when I trusted you? When you were my friend and we looked out for each other. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't remember. Because that is a time that seems to be forgotten to your daft mind. You must have forgotten how violent I, myself can be. Or maybe, you never gave me the chance to show you. In which case, I thank you. Because it is an experience that not many get the chance to receive, and I would feel utterly terrible to inhibit it from you."

Holly looked at him, with wide eyes. _Since when did Artemis have a physically violent past?_ It was always in the mind with him.

"In answer to yours and Holly's question," He still didn't look at her. "I have been getting fit, when you have been plotting against me. Of course then, I only assumed you wanted time to prepare for your retirement. And like you, I know things you do not. That should not come as any surprise."

Silence, and then…

"Prepare for the war of the century, Fowl." The voice boomed back.

Artemis stayed unperturbed, and raised an eyebrow to the statement. "It is not me that you should be worrying about, Domovoi."

There was no response to that, so Artemis continued walking down the pathways, Holly trailing behind him.

"How could he read your lips? I thought there were no cameras?" Holly questioned.

"They are not everywhere, however I have noticed some, similar to the one Sier placed in our cell, scattered randomly. We were standing right in front of one, when Domovoi spoke to us."

"Oh." She replied dumbly.

"Yes, they do not have quite the advantage anymore, now do they?" It was almost as if he was talking to himself. Holly noticed this, and decided that she would let his question go unanswered. She looked up at him; this sudden confidence boost that must have come from realizing his opportunity to avenge his parents was slightly frightening her.

He was so concentrated, on just that one thought that Holly wondered if he would even hear her talking, when she asked, "Artemis, try your magic again."

He whipped around to face her, his eyes softening from the cold, sharp glares he had been giving when talking to Butler. "Holly, I won't risk you getting hurt." Holly was starting to think he was becoming more openly affectionate, however, she had forgotten that he could read her mind, and seeing that she was assuming he was being too open, he covered up for it with a quick excuse. "I mean we can't have you injured; we are walking towards a war, correct?"

"Artemis, trust me. I want you to try it again."

"I-I don't want to hurt you." He stuttered at her refusal to give up. Then he remembered that this was Holly Short he was talking to, and that she never gave up on her determination.

"I know," She walked closer to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "But if we're going to get out of here alive, I need you to try again."

The physical contact did it for him, and he nodded in response. Holly smiled warmly, and stepped back. "Just think about getting revenge Artemis. Getting the chance to destroy the smirk on Sier's face. Getting to surprise Butler with your power. Getting to avenge your parents."

He closed his eyes, and concentrated. He imagined blasting Sier into a wall, sending shrapnel of the blast everywhere. He pictured Domovoi with his Sig Sauer, ready to shoot anything and everything that got in his way, only Artemis had the chance to stop him. He thought about shocking the one person that had always protected him, always done his dirty work for him, begging his ex-charge for mercy. And that did it for him. So as a wind came from nowhere, and a blinding light started to erupt from his palms, Artemis shaped it and curved it as he would have a piece of art. He told it where to go with his thoughts. He pictured his goal. And the magic did what he wanted it to do. Blasting through the wall opposite his body, he sent as much of his hatred and loathing into the wave of unnatural energy. He focused so that it blasted through multiple walls, rather than just the one.

And then, when it seemed to be fading, and his anger was starting to become satisfied, he thought one happy thought. He thought of Holly. His best friend, the one person that had finally brought out some good in him, the person that he tried to impress, tried to protect. She was the one person that could make him concentrate, and when she felt pain, he felt pain. But not only because of the solution that Sier had slipped into their body systems, but because he loved her. And that's what they say love feels like, right? When you can't stand to see the one you care so much about, hurt, and all you want to do is take all of their pain away, wish that it could be brought upon you instead.

Well he felt that, and when the magic stopped, and he was sure that he couldn't take any more destruction for the present moment, he stopped, panting. Once he had caught his breath, he looked around for Holly, afraid that she was hurt. When he saw her smiling widely in the corner of the hallway, he smiled back. Walking over to him, she wrapped her arms around his stomach, hugging him. As he returned the hug, she whispered to him, "I knew you could do it."

He smiled broader, nodding at her statement. She squeezed him one more time, and then backed out of the hug. This brought him out of his trance. Looking around, he noticed the damage he had done. There was a hole, the size of a large elephant that went in a straight line, through seven different passageways. On the other side of the sixth one, he saw something that looked to be a large ball of fabric, covered in rubble from the blasts. Looking closer, thankful for his 20/20 vision, he saw that it was not a large ball of fabric, but the one person that he wanted so dearly to destroy.

As Domovoi Butler stood up, dusting the debris off of his now ruined suit, Artemis smiled. Realizing what had happened; Domovoi looked through the walls to see a very smug looking Irish man staring straight at him. Butler's mouth opened, but no words came out.

Artemis chuckled at this, and said what he had learned from his brothers to be fatal in the game of hide and seek, "Found you."

* * *

**I can't believe we're nearing the end of this story...not quite at the end yet though, so please review! **


	14. Author's Note  Important

Hello all.

Before you stone me to death, I have a few things to say.

First and foremost, I did read the list of things you're not supposed to do when I joined this site, and I realize that updating a chapter with non-stories such as author's notes (which is what this _could_ be classified as) is not allowed.

I'm bending the rules, and this is my 'story':

Once upon a time when I was in grade eight, I was introduced to Artemis Fowl. You can imagine my exhilaration, as I was immediately hooked. I read all six of the books, taking my time, in a total of about 5 or six months I believe (Time Paradox didn't come out until later). For two years I waited patiently for when the Atlantis Complex would come out. When it finally did I was on my annual camping trip with my family. I made my parents drive me all the way to the nearest book store so that I could buy it the day it came out in Canada. I'm ashamed to say this, but I haven't finished it.

It's been sitting on my bookshelf for the past year, collecting dust, with bookmark paused mid page. Why? It's painful to admit it, but I was bored. I was bored with the characters that I knew off by heart, bored with my single obsession for the past two years; bored with my favourite book series. Heartbroken, I stopped reading for a while. I stopped writing for a long time. I realized I needed change, so I changed. I made a completely different set of friends, put heavy amounts of time into my sport, changed my clothing style, taste in music, got a job, and put together a few more pieces of my big picture. More importantly to you lovely people, I started to read different, darker books. The kind of books that would be classified as horror movies, were they to be portrayed outside of my mind. So let me share a secret.

Artemis Fowl is not a horror story series.

Therefore, it's not my style anymore. I've grown up. I'm going into my eleventh grade this September, no longer as the eighth grader bookworm, but as a mature almost-adult. I'm making plans for my future, and taking much heavier classes than the people just cruising through high school. I'm still a bookworm, just not an Artemis Fowl bookworm. That just happens to be essential to my membership of this site.

However, there is nothing that I dislike more than a hypocrite. Not finishing this story would be doubly hypocritical because I would be being a hypocrite about being a hypocrite; or something along those lines. I cannot finish it myself though.

You see, I was in love with Artemis Fowl the last time I posted something on this site. Every time I posted something, I did it with immense love and care. My writing style has changed since then, and I see the countless errors in my ways – enriched English has done me well. More so on topic, I want this story to be finished by someone who loves Artemis Fowl as much as I did back then.

So, I'm putting my stories up for adoption. Not leaving it abandoned on the front steps of the agency, though. I will visit, and nurture. I just know right now that someone else could give these stories more love than I ever could again.

I've had my email disconnected from this site for the past year, but for the next two weeks I will keep it open so that should any of you PM me in regards to one of my stories, I will respond. After that, I really need to start studying for next year, and there's summer life to be lived. I will be satisfied that I've tried even if no one responds, and in two weeks I'll post the status of the situation on my profile, along with on this story.

This is mainly for the people that read Unexpected. I once read a story on this site that kept me up until dawn with the covers over my head. That story never did get finished. I'm trying to take some initiative here, but I can't do it alone. You should know how to PM me. If you have any questions, or even just want to say hey, it's open. I'll respond, pinky swear.

Until then, stay classy.


	15. Final Update

This story is has been adopted and is being continued by Wish You Luck.

Please visit their profile to see the continuation of the story Unexpected.

Profile link: .net/u/2999972/


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